Marble-shooter.



G. S. RAGKLYEFT.

MARBLE SHOOTER. APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 17,1908.

908,328, v Patented Dec.29,1908.

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GEORGES. RACKLYEFT, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOCHARLES W. HOUSE, OF HOLLAND, NEW YORK.

MARBLE-SHOOTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

Applicationfiled June 17, 1908. Serial No. 439,013.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. RACKLY- EFT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of NewYork, have invented a Marble-Shooter, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to toys, and is more especially an improvement inthat particular class of toys which are employed in childrens games forthe purpose of shooting marbles, and-are known as marble-shooters.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a marble-shooterwhich is simple in construction, can be easily operated,-aud willproject the marble in a direct line with considerable force andaccuracy, thereby providing an efiective device or toy for the amusementof children in their games.

With these principal objects in view my invention consists of a blockrecessed at one end to receive the marble, a spring-actuated rod orplunger working longitudinally throu "h the block and adapted to projectthe marble, and a bent spring plate or trigger through which the rod orplunger projects and by which it is held retracted; all as hereinafterparticularly described and specifically set orth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecificationz-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a marble-shooterconstructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a verticallongitudinal se'ctional View through the device. Fig. 3 is a plan view.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of thedrawings.

In carrying out my invention. I emplo in the first instance arectangular wooden b ock 5, and cut the forward part of the top away soas to leave a projecting portion 6 at the rear end thereof, and also outout the front end of said block to form a vertical recess 7, the oposite vertical walls 8 of which conver e s ightly towards the rear wall.Upon the ottom of. the block is glued or otherwise secured a strip 9,which at its forward end extends across the recess 7 and forms thebottom thereof, so that the marble which is placed in said recess mayrest upon said strip. The strip 9 may be either cardboard or thin sheetmetal, the latter material being preferred, inasmuch as it will not wearout so quickly by contact with the ground or other surface upon whichthe device is placed in use.

' The block is provided with a longitudinal bore 10, extendingtherethrough from end to end, and in this bore is adapted to slide a rodor plunger 11, provided at its rear end with a head 12 and adjacentitsfront end with a notch 13. This rod or plunger is longer than the blockso that it may project a suitable distance beyond the front end thereof,the forward movement being limited by the head strikingthe rear end ofthe block, and this rod or plunger is actuated or forcibly proj ected bymeans of a rubber band 14, which is passed around the sides and ends ofthe block and over the head 12 of the rod or plunger. here the rubberband passes around the corners of the block the latter is notched, as at15, so as to hold said band in place, and the head of the rod or plungeris also recessed transversely, as at 16, for the same purpose, as wellas to keep the notch 13 at the under side of the rod to properly enga ethe trigger-plate, hereinafter described.

Tor the purpose of holding the rod or plunger retracted, as well as toserve as a trigger for releasing said rod or plunger, I provide anLshaped spring plate 17, the upper horizontal member of which isattached at its rear end in a recess therefor in the projecting portion6 of the block, while the other or vertical member depends in the recess7 and is provided with an opening 18 through which the rod or plungerpasses. The spring tendency of this plate is upward, and the horizontalmember thereof normally lies a slight distance above the depressedportion of the top of the block, and in this position of the springplate it engages the notch 13 in the rod or plunger when the latter isretracted, as illustrated clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawm s.

As will be readily seen the rod or lungor when retracted is undertension of the rubber band, being held by the L-shaped spring plate ortrigger, and when released by depressing said spring plate or triggerit-will be projected quickly and forcibly, so that an object, as amarble, 19, which may be in the recess 7 in front of said rod or plungerwill be projected thereby out of the device. That part of the rubberband which extends across the recess 7 is employed for the purpose ofholding the marble in. place until the rod or plunger is released,yieldingly engaging the upperpart of the marble so that the 1tsprogress. The device is then placed upon the ground and pointed inthedirection the marble is to take, andby depressing the spring plate ortrigger 17 the rodv or plunger is released and will shoot the marblewith considerable force and accuracy. It will be noted that the marbleis centered directly in front of the rod or plunger and that the latteracts on the marble in the same manner as a one on, a billiard ball todrive the marble in a straight line. As will be readily understood thedevice may be used in various games where it is desired to shoot amarble.

In some instances I may actuate the rod or plunger by means of acoil'spring, but the rubber band is referred inasmuch as it not onlyprovides t e means for actuating the rod or plungerbutalso serves toretain the marble (in place. Furthermore, by providing an ordinaryrubber band as the actuating means the same may be renewed at very smallcost.

Having described my invention,fI claim:

1.'A marble-shooter, comprising a-block having a recess in its forwardend to receive the marble and a longitudinal bore communicating withsaid recess, a rod or lunger working in the bore and adapted to eprojected through and beyond the recess, a rubber-band extending aroundthe block, said rubber-band engaging the rod or plunger to actuate thesame and extending across the front of the recess in the block toloosely engage the marble, and a trip device for holding the rod orplunger retracted, substantially as shown and described.

2. A marble-shooter, comprising a block having a vertical recess at itsfront end and an upwardly projecting portion at its rear end, a rod orplunger working longituditeaserv nally through the block and center ofthe aforesaid recess, said rod or plunger having a notch at theunderside of its forward end, an L-shapedespring plate attached at oneend to the upwardly projecting portion of the block and so that itsother end will depend in the recess, said de ending end of the platehaving an opening t rough which the rod or plunger proyects, and arubber band extendmg around the sides and ends of the block and aroundthe rear end of the rod or plunger, substantially as shownand'described.

3. A marbleshooter, comprising a block having a vertical recess at itsfront end, and a longitudinal bore entering the center of said recess, astrip attached to the bottom of the block and forming a bottom for theaforesaid recess, a rod or lunger slidable in the bore and having a notcat its forward end, a rubber band passed around the sides and ends ofthe block and across the rear end of the rod or plunger, said rubberband also extending across the front of the recess in the block near theupper end thereof, and a bent'spring plate attached to the to of theblock and having an opening throug which the rod or plunger pro ects,substantially as shown and described.

4. A marble-shooter, comprising a block 5 having a vertical "recess atits front end with rearwardly converging side walls 8, said block alsohaving a longitudinal bore entering the recess between the side wallsthereof, a rod or plunger slidable in the bore and having a notch at itsforward end, a rubber band extending around the sides and ends of theblock and across the rear end of the rod or plunger, said rubber bandalso extendin across the recess in the front of the bloc near the upperend thereof, and an L-shaped plate secured at one end to the top of thelock and provided at its other end with an opening through which the rodor plunger projects, substantially as herein shown and describe Intestimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the'presence of two subscribing-witnesses.

GEORGE S. RAOKLYEFT.

Witnesses:

JASPER J. BROWN, ROBERT S. MoGAY.

